Bed coverings



Dec. 4, 1956 Filed June 4, 1954 -|l|ll ltl HHIIHHIIIH HIIHIIHIHHllulllllflll lllllllllll E. S. BRODIE BED COVERINGS 2 Sheets-Sheet l d n I '0 2 INVENTOR EDNA s. BRODIE ATTO R N EYS United States Patent BED COVERINGS Edna S. Brodie, New York, N. Y., assignor to J. P. Stevens & Co., Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application June 4, 1954, Serial No. 434,446

4 Claims. (Cl. -334) My invention relates to bed coverings and more particularly to top sheets for beds. The principal object of the invention is to provide .a top sheet giving ample foot room for the occupant of the bed and at the same time having its lower corners formed to fit over the lower corners of the mattress so that the sheet is maintained in smooth condition on the mattress and cannot be pulled upwardly or lengthwise from the lower end of the mattress by the occupant of the bed.

Pursuant to my invention, the top sheet is formed with pocket portions arranged to fit over the lower corners of the mattress to hold the sheet smoothly in place .and also with pleats of limited length adjacent the pockets whereby the fit of the sheet at the bottom edge of the mattress is maintained while the portion of the sheet above the corner portions or pockets is allowed to expand to increase in width, thus allowing ample space for the feet of the occupant of the bed without detaching the side edge portions of the sheet from under the mattress.

In order that the invention may be more clearly understood, attention is directed to the accompanying drawings, forming a pa1t of this specification, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a bed with my improved top sheet applied to the mattress;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of corner portions of the material of which the covering is made with the corner portions cut out to provide for the formation of the corner pockets and pleats;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary plan view of the corner of the sheet after the formation of the pleat, but before the formation of the corner pocket;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the corners of a mattress with my improved sheet applied thereto;

Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional view on line V, V of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a cross sectional view of the sheet on line A, A of Fig. 4 showing the material immediately above the pleat partially expanded;

Fig. 7 is a cross sectional view on the line A, A of Fig. 4 showing the material above the pleat completely expanded by the feet of the occupant so as to provide ample foot room; and

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the sheet in use, illustrating the manner in which the desired foot room is obtained.

My improved covering may be made of any suitable material such as ordinary sheeting, having the maximum width of the covering and having selvaged side edges.

In making the improved sheet, the sheeting, shown at 1 in Fig. 2, is first cut out at its corners to permit the edges of the cut-out portions to be sewed together to form the corner pockets and pleats referred to above. As shown, each of the lower corners of the sheet is provided with a large notch 2 for the formation of a corner pocket and a smaller notch 3 adjacent the notch 2 and having edges which define the end of a pleat. A number of sheets may be simultaneously cut with the desired corner configuration.

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After the cutting out of the corner portions as aforesaid, the sheeting is folded along the longitudinal lines 4 and 5 so that the edges 3a and 3b of the notch 3 are superimposed, as shown in Fig. 3, and a pleat formed with the material between the lines 4 and 5 interposed between the material on the two sides thereof, as shown in Fig. 3. As the inclination of the edge 3a to the line 4 is equal to the inclination of the edge 2a of the notch 2 to that line, the edges 3a and 31; will now be superposed on the edge 2a. As a result, only the notch 2 will appear in the cut and pleated corner. The pleat is now sewed in place for a predetermined distance inwardly of the lower edge of the sheet, as by stitching along the lines 6, 7 and 8, the innermost portion 7 of the stitching being preferably approximately on a transverse line running through the corner 20 of the notch 2. The edges 2a and 2b of the notches 2 are now superposed and sewed together, as by taping 9 (Fig. 5). Preferably the tape should be arranged on the inside of the completed pocket, as shown. The lower transverse edge of the sheet may also be finished, as by taping, as shown at 10 (Fig. 5), this tape preferably running slightly past the corner of the pocket longitudinally of the sheet. The top edge of the sheet is finished in any suitable way, as by hemming. The side edges, as stated above, are selvaged.

The inner portions of the edges 2a and 2b in each cutout corner are preferably straight lines at: right angles to each other, as shown, and the outermost portions of the said edges are preferably convexly curved through an arc of approximately Accordingly, when these edges are secured together, a pocket is formed in each lower corner of the sheet, the pocket being of proper shape to fit over the corner of a mattress. Straight portions of the edges 2a and 2b in each pocket are arranged to extend downwardly along the corresponding lower vertical edge of the mattress at right angles to the top of the mattress; and the outermost portions of the edges 2a and 212, when secured together, are disposed to extend under the mattress as shown in Fig. 4. The pockets at the lower edge of the sheet are, of course, of like construction, each having a superposed pleat secured in position by the stitching 6, 7 and 8. The distance between the pockets is equal to the width of the mattress, so that when the sheet is placed on the mattress, it will be held smoothly in place In use, the lower edge of the top sheet is applied over the lower sheet so that the lower corners of the mattress are fitted into the pocket portions of the sheet. The lower edge portion of the sheet will then be disposed substantially'at right angles to the body of the sheet and will fit closely against the lower vertical wall of the mattress with the lower edge of the sheet disposed under the mattress. The sheet is thus securely held in position and cannot be pulled out of place by the occupant of the bed. The side edges of the sheet may also, if desired, be tucked under the mattress. As the secured portions of the pleats terminate approximately on a line with the corners of the pockets and the upper edge of the lower downwardly disposed portion of the sheet, each pleat is free to open above the corners of the pocket as shown in Figs. 6, 7 and 8, forming a triangular dart-like portion 11 which provides substantial foot room for the occupant without detaching the sheet. In other words, the sheet is permitted to expand above the fixed pleats to the full width of the sheet without interfering with the retaining action of the pocket portions of the sheet.

It is accordingly evident that I have provided a top sheet or covering which will not only stay securely in place and eliminate the tedious operation of making so called hospital or folded corners in fitting the sheet to the mattress, but will also provide ample foot room for the occupant of the bed without releasing the sheet from the mattress.

I claim:

1. A bed covering having corner pleats and side and edge portions arranged for disposition at an angle to its body portion, said covering being formed of a sheet having corner portions each cut away to form a plurality of adjacent-notches, edge portions of one of said notches being secured together in abutting relation to form a pocket'portion arranged to fit over the corner of a mattress and the edge portions of the other notch being superposed and secured together and constituting the end of said pleat.

2. A bed covering having longitudinal corner pleats and side and end edge portions arranged for disposition at an angle to its body portion, said covering being formed of a sheet having corner portions each cut away to form a plurality of adjacent notches, edge portions of one of said notches in each corner portion being securedtoget'ner in abutting relation to form a pocket portion arranged to fit over the corner of a mattress and the edge portions of the other notch in each corner portion being superposed and constituting the end of said pleat, each of said pleats being secured in position at its lower end portion but being free to open above said secured portion to provide greater Width of covering adjacent thereto.

3. A bed covering having longitudinal corner pleats and side and end edge portions arranged to extend respectively around the vertical end and side portions of a mattress and under the mattress, said covering being formed from a single sheet of material having each of its lower corner portions cut away to form a plurality of notches, each of the edges of one of the notches in each of said corner portions comprising an inner straight portion and an outer portion inclined thereto, the edges of each of said notches being secured together in abutting relation to form a pocket portion arranged to fitover the corner of a mattress, and the edgesof the other notches in each of said corner portion being inclined to each other and superposed and secured together to form the end of a pleat, each of said pleats being secured together at its lower end but free to open at the upper end thereof.

4. The bed covering of claim 3 in which the edges of the pleat forming notches and the outer portions of the pocket forming notches are similarly convexly curved.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,403,873 Scott Jan. 17, 1922 1,653,236 Spaeth Dec. 20, 1927 1,865,329 McHorter June 28, 1932 2,577,178 Bellinger Dec. 4, 1951 2,677,137 Bergin May 4, 1954 2,679,056 Simpson May 25, '1954 

